More and more people are turning to champagne as their go to drink, pushing champagne prices higher

Mar 31, 2017 | By AFP Relaxnews

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The French aren’t the only ones with a taste for their country’s finest of home-grown fizzes, it seems. In fact, champagne enjoyed another bumper year in 2016, with orders worth €4.71 billion worldwide. In terms of volume, global champagne sales fell slightly in 2016, by 2.1%, with the French wine-growing region’s producers exporting 306,096,000 bottles. In comparison, sales in France fell 2.5% to 157,737,000 bottles.

The 2016 figures confirm the enduring appeal of the French sparkling wine on a global scale. In terms of volume, the British are still the biggest consumers of champagne, with 31.1 million bottles shipped to the UK. However, the Brexit vote has affected the market, with a 14% drop in export value and an 8.7% drop in volume of sales. What’s more, champagne faces tough competition from the Italian sparkling wine prosecco on the British market.

While the British take the top spot for champagne exports in terms of volume, the USA pips the UK to the post on export value, up 6.3% to €540 million.

The new champagne drinkers

Other countries buoying the champagne market include New Zealand, with export volumes up 29.1% to 648 million bottles, for a total value of €9.8 million (+25.4%). Champagne is also proving increasingly popular in Russia, with 1.3 million bottles shipped for a value of €22.5 million, and in Mexico, with 1.5 million bottles shipped (+30.9%) in 2016. Exports to South Africa (856,000) and South Korea (825,000) are also on the rise, with sales volumes up 21.9% and 16.1% respectively in 2016.

As champagne continues to gain popularity in more and more countries, the sector is also diversifying with new options and flavors. Rosé exports were up 8.5% on 2015, for example, and prestigious vintages were up 4.6%.